


Day 179

by Josh_the_Bard



Series: A Year in Kirkwall [179]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:33:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24991588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh_the_Bard/pseuds/Josh_the_Bard
Relationships: Donnic Hendyr/Aveline Vallen
Series: A Year in Kirkwall [179]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589257
Kudos: 1





	Day 179

Aveline watched Hawke, Anders and Merrill making their preparation with a growing sense of anxiety. Having felt the influence of a demon first hand, Aveline still didn’t understand how Hawke could resist their influence. Merrill had already proven she couldn’t, yet the other mages seemed fine with sending her back in. With trusting their lives to her.

Aveline had considered ignoring the plan entirely and bringing her guards or even the templars in to root out the apostates. Her loyalty to Hawke only extended so far to Anders, but in the end she had to admit that it was the best plan for the long term. If the mages were attacked before completing the ritual, and if any escaped, they would surely try again, this time without forewarning Anders. However, if their ritual failed they would, at the very least, take time to figure out why. Time Aveline planned to spend hunting them down.

She had found a surprising ally in Noll. If things had gone a different way all those months ago they might have ended up killing each other, but they were as committed to protecting Kirkwall as Aveline. They might tolerate Merrill, but so did Aveline so who was she to judge? The important thing was that they understood that treating some mages like dangerous criminals was not the same as oppressing them, especially if they were planning something worse than murder.

The vat of lyrium Varric had acquired was obscenely large, Aveline could not fathom the cost of it all, if the guard had those kinds of resources, the Viscount might still be alive. The fact that the expense was to save maleficar just added salt to the wound.

Donnic and Brennan arrived late to the ritual, wearing grim expressions. Aviline didn’t blame them but there were no other guards her friends would trust with something this… unorthodox. each would be standing guard over one of the mages, watching for signs that they would turn into abominations. Usually this task was the duty of a templar, but of course the mages would have refused their presence. Noll would slip out once the mages were under to seek out the source of the ritual and note the location of the mage base. According to Anders, they had to do their ritual close to the maleficar, something about the landscape of the Fade mirroring that of the waking world. Aveline didn’t really follow but she understood the important part.

It was approaching midnight when they started. Anders, Merrill, and Hawke gathered around a pool of lyrium and began drawing from its power. Behind them, they had each piled up pillows and blankets for when their souls entered the Fade and their bodies collapsed.

Aveline took up position near Merrill, the one she most expected to turn. She didn’t much like the idea of killing her friend but she liked the thought of a rampaging abomination much less. Donnic was assigned to Hawke, despite Anders’s insistence that his already being possessed meant he could not be possessed again, Aveline had a feeling Hawke was the least likely to turn.

“Are we ready,” Hawke asked. The other two mages nodded and began channeling energy. Or so Aveline assumed. To her it just looked like the vat of lyrium started glowing.

One my one, their eyes rolled back in their heads and they collapsed on their piles of pillows. Avelline and her guards stood over them, swords at the ready. This would be a long night.


End file.
